A garden path must have a firm surface that is durable and will withstand various traffic conditions, such as foot traffic, vehicles, lawn mowers and other gardening devices. It must also be well drained, so that moisture around any large fountains will not linger, and after showers its surface does not hold puddles or remain wet for very long. A well-made and well-kept path contributes greatly to its overall appearance and comfort.

Driveways are not merely for show and the surface material must be able to stand up well to daily use so that it won’t crack up. The construction should be similar to that of the principles used in road construction.

When laying down the line of a drive, if you make any departure from straight lines, you should make curves in wide sweeps. Abrupt turns in drives are apt to lead to surprises on dark nights. The minimum width for a drive may be taken as ten feet.

There are two points in a drive which call for special attention on the part of the designer - the entrance and the terminal. If the drive enters the plot at right angles, it is well to set the gates back from the road, so as to make space for vehicles to turn, and this is especially necessary when the drive leaves a narrow street. You can do this by making the railings or boundary hedge curve inward toward the gates, or by erecting curved wing walls enclosing a space resembling a semicircle.

When the drive enters the plot at an angle it should break away from the street by a curve which meets the drive at a tangent. If the drive comes off a curved street, the two curves should flow gracefully into each other. In other words, they should have a common tangent line. It is not unusual to find the course of a drive so laid down that its length is more than it should be in an attempt to impress visitors. This is a waste of material and of space.

On level ground a straight drive leading to the house by the shortest route is generally the best. Curved drives, however, are not objectionable provided their lines run in bold sweeps, and they may afford an opportunity for screening the house when privacy is desirable. On sloping ground the course of the drive must be determined with a view to ensuring an easy gradient, and in such case it may be necessary to use curves freely.

Where the drive reaches the house entrance an expansion should be made to allow vehicles to turn and it should be wide enough to allow them to turn on a sufficiently large radius to prevent damage to the road surface. The form of the "carriage-turn" is immaterial if it is large enough; but if space is restricted it is better to adopt the circle, or some figure resembling it.

In the case of a semicircular drive having separate entrance and exit gates, the carriage turn is unnecessary, but may be retained in some form as a concession to the eye, which naturally looks for a free space opposite the house door.

Some of the other aspects that you must consider when making a driveway are:

• The width between automobile tires
• The direction the driveway takes relative to lines of street curb,
• The width of parking space between sidewalk and curb
• The elevation of sidewalk above curb
• The relative slopes in the walk and curb
• The elevation of the sidewalk above the curb
• The relative slopes in the walk and the curb
• The general character of ground with respect to lines and grades, and
• The textural finish suited to conditions.

The average distance between the centers of tires is four feet nine inches. Add to this one foot six inches to allow nine inches outside of each tire, and the result, six feet three inches, is a serviceable width for a driveway. Six feet six inches is quite commonly used and is a good width under nearly all circumstances, unless curbs are built on the outside, when the overall width will be increased by about eight inches.